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My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2019 film)
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls is an upcoming 2019 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film that is a CGI remake of the 2013 film of the same name. The film is being directed by Jayson Theissen. The film will feature the voices of Sia, Emily Blunt, Zoe Saldana, Kristin Chenoweth, Andrera Libman (reprising her role as Fluttershy from FIM) Uzo Aduba, Michael Peña, and Rebecca Schoichet (reprising her role as Sunset Shimmer). The film is produced by Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Allspark Pictures and Hasbro Studios. It will also be the first Sony Pictures Animation film produced by Universal Pictures. My Little Pony: Equestria Girls is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 31, 2019 by Sony Pictures Releasing and Universal Pictures in 3D, Digital 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMAX and IMAX 3D. Plot The movie opens in the Crystal Empire, with Twilight Sparkle, Spike and their friends disembarking the train at the station and heading to the Crystal Castle to attend Twilight's first princess summit since her coronation. Twilight is both nervous and excited (or "nervicited", as Pinkie puts it) about the summit and feeling self-conscious about wearing her crown, but her friends are supportive as expected, believing her new status as princess should be embraced. In the throne room, Twilight bumps into an amber-coated Pegasus royal guard who introduces her as "her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle", and she and her friends meet with Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Celestia takes notice of how tired Twilight and her friends look from their trip and sends the seven of them off to bed. Some time later, as she tries on her crown, Twilight is once again feeling unsure of herself, wondering what will happen now that she's a princess. Spike assures her everything will be fine, and the two of them go to sleep (though Twilight has some trouble trying to keep her wings folded). Later that night, a pony in a cloak sneaks into the castle, past the patrol of royal guards and into Twilight and Spike's guest room. Using unicorn magic, the cloaked pony switches Twilight's crown with a fake crown and attempts to make off with it. However, as the unicorn sneaks past Spike, he rolls over in his sleep at the last second, flipping his tail in the way. The thief trips over it with their back hoof, crashing into the floor and stirring Twilight and Spike from their sleep. Twilight, noticing the crown in the unicorn's saddlebag, cries "Thief!" before giving chase. Her shouts wake the other Element bearers as she passes their rooms and they quickly join the pursuit. She attempts to cut the thief off by teleporting, but the unicorn is just as skilled at teleportation as she is; uncloaked by the spell, the thief is revealed to be a mare. Twilight tackles the fleeing unicorn to the ground as they reach a chamber in the castle that houses a large mirror. During the struggle, Twilight's crown falls through the mirror. With a wicked grin and a sarcastic, insincere apology, the mystery mare untangles herself from Twilight by teleporting to the mirror and leaps through it, to Twilight and her friends' shock. The next morning, Princess Celestia identifies the unicorn as Sunset Shimmer, her former student. She began her studies under Celestia not long before Twilight but had turned cruel and dishonest when she didn't get what she wanted as quickly as she'd liked. She subsequently abandoned her studies (eventually going through the mirror, apparently). Spike brings out the fake crown, with Princess Celestia surmising that Sunset hoped that Twilight wouldn't notice the switch right away, and by the time she did, it would be too late to retrieve the real one. When Twilight asks where Sunset fled to, the other princesses show her and her friends to the mirror. The mirror is in fact a gateway to another world, an alternate world, that opens once every thirty moons. It used to be kept in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, as Princess Celestia hoped that Sunset Shimmer would use it to return to Equestria some day to seek her guidance. The princesses task Twilight with venturing into this other world and retrieving her crown; without it, the other Elements of Harmony are powerless, and Equestria loses one of its greatest defenses. Not only that, but the Elements do not belong on the other side. Sunset would likely use the Element of Magic to harm the inhabitants of the alternate realm, and they will not be able to defend themselves against its power. Unfortunately, such a task has its share of complications. For one, Twilight must go alone, as sending her with all of her friends could upset the balance of the other world and complicate her mission further. What's more is that the gateway will only be open for another three days. When the moon reaches its peak in the night sky at that time, the gateway will close, and it will be another thirty moons before Twilight can use it to return to Equestria. With some encouragement from her friends, Twilight steps through the gateway. Only moments later, an anxious Spike follows after her. Dizzy from the journey across worlds, Twilight opens her eyes, surprised to find Spike—now a small purple-furred dog—standing before her. They at least know what his current form is, because what is even more alarming is the fact Twilight herself is now a creature they are completely unfamiliar with: a human teenager. The two find themselves outside what appears to be a castle, and immediately begin their search for Twilight's crown. However, Twilight struggles to get used to her new body, learning to walk upright and get around without magic. Twilight and Spike enter the seemingly empty "castle", and Twilight gets a first look at her new body through a display case's glass windowpane. Suddenly, a bell rings, and dozens of multi-colored teenagers pour into the hallway. An overwhelmed Twilight stumbles her way out of the crowd and bumps into a teenage boy with spiky blue hair who helps her to her feet. As Twilight watches him walk off, it becomes apparent to her and Spike that it's not a castle they're in but a school. Twilight grows more accustomed to her human body and closely observes the inhabitants of the strange new world she's in. As she passes by faces both new and familiar to her, she listens in on a conversation between two girls: one is being considerably cruel and verbally abusive to the other. Twilight steps in to defend the girl being harassed, but her oppressor shrugs Twilight off and walks away, saying she can speak to anyone any way she wants. As Twilight comes to discover, that was Sunset Shimmer. The girl Twilight stood up for introduces herself as Fluttershy, much to Twilight's surprise. Before she can dwell on this, Fluttershy notices Spike and starts to fawn over him in the exact same manner her pony counterpart did when they first came to Ponyville. Twilight asks Fluttershy about the crown; Fluttershy tells her that she had indeed found the crown. While handing out flyers for Canterlot's animal shelter on the front lawn that morning, the crown came through the portal and struck the back of her head. Not wanting anything to happen to it, she then turned it over to Principal Celestia. With this information, Twilight and Spike head to the principal's office. As she keeps Spike hidden in her backpack on Fluttershy's advice, Twilight enters Principal Celestia's office and asks her about the crown. Having given it to Vice Principal Luna for safekeeping, Celestia is mystified as to how the crown ended up on the front lawn. Twilight learns from the principal that the crown is to be awarded to the Princess of the upcoming Fall Formal dance. Leaving the office, Spike questions why Twilight didn't just explain the truth to the principal. She was going to, but she came to realize during the conversation how Principal Celestia would react to it; if a human ended up in Equestria and told its people about the human world, ponies would consider them crazy. With few to no alternatives, Twilight decides to run for Princess of the Fall Formal to get her crown back, but she just has no idea how to do so. At lunch, Twilight meets Fluttershy again in the cafeteria and shares with her decision to run for Princess of the Fall Formal. This news comes as a shock to Fluttershy, who warns Twilight that Sunset makes life miserable for those who oppose her. It's here that Twilight also learns about how isolated all the social groups of the school are from one another, from the athletes to the fashionistas to the rockers, and that she'd have to get all of them to vote for her. Twilight is still determined however, and asks where to find the head of the Fall Formal planning committee. She and Spike enter the school auditorium, which is in the process of being decorated. There, they meet another familiar—and at the same time un''familiar—face: Pinkie Pie. While the peppy girl is more than happy to put Twilight's name on the ballot, she's less than thrilled to know Fluttershy is involved. As the two of them talk, in enters another face Twilight recognizes: Applejack, delivering cases of fizzy apple cider with the help of Big McIntosh. Upon learning that Twilight will be running against Sunset Shimmer for Princess, Applejack warns that Sunset is not to be trusted, commenting that the only girl in the school who's even ''less trustworthy is Rainbow Dash. Twilight takes her leave of the auditorium, and Sunset Shimmer enters just moments later with Snips and Snails. She spares no harsh words regarding the decorations and choice of refreshments, inciting Applejack's anger. When Sunset learns that Twilight will be running against her, she goes to "meet the competition". Sunset confronts Twilight in a barely lit, dead end hallway and gives her a verbal lashing, scoffing at her efforts to run for Princess of the Fall Formal, outright insulting and belittling her, and even threatening Spike's safety. Sunset orders Snips and Snails to follow Twilight and bring her something she can use to discredit Twilight in the eyes of the student body. A hungry Twilight comes across a vending machine, and unable to get it open, is about to kick it pony-style when she's interrupted by Trixie, who easily buys a snack from it. Realizing that she really doesn't know anything about this world, Twilight decides to do research about the school to better familiarize herself with it. Much to her delight, Canterlot High has an extensive library. Twilight's attempts at using a computer are inept and awkward, she makes a mess of library books (handling a number of them by mouth rather than by hand), and she has trouble figuring out how to use a copy machine. Unbeknownst to her, Snips and Snails are recording her every embarrassing move via camera phone. That evening, as the library nears closing time, it occurs to Twilight that she hadn't thought about where she and Spike are going to sleep. Luckily, Spike had thought ahead and assembled a bed out of books for them to sleep on, having discovered a rarely used section tucked away on the second floor of the library. Meanwhile, Twilight's research into the school has yielded a yearbook. Inside, she found an old photo of Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Although the five appear to be friends in the photo, they don't seem to be friends now. Spike reminds Twilight that she can't focus on why the girls are no longer friends: making friends and beating Sunset Shimmer comes first. The next morning, Twilight is ready to make a good first impression on her fellow students, but she finds that everyone she passes in the hallway is laughing at her. As she wonders why, Rarity suddenly pulls her into an empty classroom and dresses her in a new outfit and wig. At that moment, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie enter the room. They show Twilight a video that Sunset Shimmer had posted online, showing Twilight struggling to adapt to her human form and otherwise embarrassing herself on camera. Mortified, Twilight believes that her chances of getting voted Fall Formal Princess are hopeless. Pinkie Pie offers to help, but Fluttershy advises Twilight against accepting it. Within moments, they, Rarity, and Applejack are at each other's throats. Twilight breaks up the argument and with the yearbook photo, reminds the four that they were all friends once; the girls fondly remember the photo as being at the school's Freshman Fair. Twilight believes that Sunset Shimmer somehow broke them apart, but the girls claim it wasn't Sunset Shimmer that dismantled the four's friendship but a series of text messages and e-mails sent between them that ruined school events they put together: a text from Fluttershy to Pinkie that ruined a silent auction for the animal shelter, a message from Applejack to Rainbow Dash that ruined a bake sale, and so on. However, as the girls come to realize, none of them had sent these alleged messages. At Twilight's encouragement, Applejack approaches Rainbow Dash on the school soccer pitch, where the two work out their misunderstandings and reconcile. With her and Applejack's friendship mended, Rainbow Dash agrees to help Twilight become Princess of the Fall Formal on one condition: beat her in a game of one-on-one. Unfortunately, despite Twilight's best effort throughout, her lack of athleticism and inexperience with sports lead to her thoroughly losing the match. However, Rainbow Dash agrees to help regardless, explaining that what she was actually doing was testing Twilight's "heart and determination", two qualities that the Fall Formal Princess should have; Twilight proved that she has both. Behind the bleachers nearby, Snips and Snails show Sunset Shimmer photos they'd taken on their phones, eliciting an evil grin from the other pony-turned-human. In a coffee shop run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Twilight bumps into the boy with spiky blue hair again. As they awkwardly part ways, Twilight finds herself developing a crush on him. Rarity is quick to notice and discourage this; the boy, Flash Sentry, is apparently Sunset Shimmer's ex-boyfriend, and developing a relationship with him would likely invite more of Sunset's wrath. The six friends brainstorm ways to boost Twilight's popularity and get her the votes she needs to be named Princess. Rarity comes up with the idea of getting everyone in the school to wear fake pony ears and tails, to foster unity and school spirit. The next day, the six friends put their plan into action: a lively song and dance in the school cafeteria that rouses everyone into dancing. But even as she watches on from outside the cafeteria, Sunset Shimmer isn't deterred; she has yet another task for Snips and Snails. Later that day, everyone in the school is seen wearing Rarity's pony ears and tails, and school spirit and pride are at an all-time high. But as Applejack points out, Sunset Shimmer still walks down the hall with a smirk. She knocks on the office door of Vice Principal Luna and feigns distress, informing her that the Fall Formal decorations have been destroyed. She accuses Twilight of committing the deed, even presenting photos as evidence. A suspicious Flash Sentry listens in on their conversation, then slips away. Twilight is brought to Luna's office, where Luna shows her the photos and says that the school can't let someone who'd do such a thing run for Fall Formal Princess. Twilight is about to lose herself to despair when there's a knock at the door. Flash Sentry enters, presenting evidence he found in the library trash can. The photos Luna was given were in fact altered to incriminate Twilight, by using cutouts of Twilight from the soccer pitch, superimposed onto backgrounds of the gym decorations being destroyed. In light of this, Luna allows Twilight to continue her Princess bid. Twilight is immensely grateful to Flash for his help, but the damage done to the auditorium means the Fall Formal will have to be postponed until the following evening. Flash asks Twilight if she wants to go the Fall Formal with him. Twilight is about to accept before she realizes what the dance's postponement means. Crying "no!" over and over, she bursts out of the vice principal's office, leaving behind a disappointed Flash Sentry. Twilight dashes into the boutique where her friends are picking out their formal wear and ducks behind a changing room curtain, where she takes stock of the situation: if she doesn't get her crown back by that evening, the portal to Equestria will close and she'll be trapped in this world for thirty moons. Spike suggests they tell her friends the truth and let them know what's at stake, but Twilight is uncertain, worried that they'll reject her for not being human. Spike encourages her, saying that they rallied around her because they saw what was in her heart and won't care that she's actually a pony, at which Twilight tells him that she's glad he followed her. Twilight reluctantly tells her friends the truth. The others are skeptical at this, until Spike speaks up to confirm this and that he is actually a dragon, shocking everyone except Fluttershy, who's thrilled to finally meet a talking animal. With that, Twilight rallies her friends together in cleaning up and redecorating the school auditorium, an effort that many of the school's students lend a helping hand in. When the renovations are finished, Principal Celestia is so impressed by the students' efforts that she doesn't postpone the Fall Formal. As everyone leaves to get ready for the dance, Celestia reminds the students to vote for the Fall Formal Princess as they leave the gym, and a number of students cast their ballot for Twilight. In a gym equipment storage room, Sunset Shimmer chews out Snips and Snails for going overboard in their trashing of the auditorium, as she needs the Formal to go on that night just as much as Twilight does. The girls return to the boutique to get themselves ready for the Formal later that evening. They change into fancier shoes and dresses and put on jewelry themed after each of their respective Elements of Harmony. The girls arrive at Canterlot High later that evening in a limousine. As they enter the school, Flash Sentry pulls up in his car. He jumps out and quickly runs up to Twilight, asking if she would reconsider and have at least one dance with him. Twilight, jumbling up her words as she attempts to explain that her flurry of "no"'s earlier wasn't directed at him, accepts. Inside the auditorium, the girls and the rest of the attendees dance to Flash Sentry and his band's live performance. Twilight notices Sunset Shimmer is nowhere to be seen and asks Rainbow Dash about it, to which Rainbow Dash replies that she isn't there because she most likely knew Twilight won the Fall Formal crown. After the band finishes their song, Principals Celestia and Luna walk on stage to announce the Princess of the Fall Formal. After some words of praise to the students for their hard work, Principal Celestia announces the winner—Twilight Sparkle. As Principal Celestia congratulates Twilight and places the Fall Formal crown on her head, Snips and Snails sneak into the auditorium through a back door and kidnap Spike. Spike screams out for Twilight, and she runs out after the duo, followed quickly by her friends. Snips and Snails take Spike into the school courtyard near the statue, where Sunset Shimmer is waiting. Twilight and her friends find themselves face-to-face with Sunset Shimmer, brandishing a sledgehammer and ready to destroy the portal back to Equestria. Twilight tells Sunset not to hurt Spike; Sunset, saying she "wouldn't dream of it", tells Snips and Snails to let Spike go. Sunset then gives Twilight an ultimatum: give the crown back and be allowed to return to Equestria, or keep the crown and never go back. Twilight, maintaining her fortitude, keeps the crown. Surprised by this, Sunset tries to reason with Twilight to hand over the crown, to which Twilight replies by explaining she's seen what Sunset has been able to do to Canterlot High even without the magic the crown will give her. Sunset appears to give up, throwing the sledgehammer down. Twilight's friends surround her and commend her selflessness. Hearing the flurry of kind words directed towards Twilight, Sunset loses her temper and charges at Twilight, tackling her and knocking the crown off her head. During the minutes that follow, the crown repeatedly trades hands as Twilight and her friends attempt to keep it out of Sunset's, Snips', and Snails' possession. In a moment of absentmindedness, Twilight tosses the crown away, and it ends up in Sunset's hands. A giddy Sunset immediately places the crown on her head. As soon as she does this, a magical aura surrounds her and she is lifted up into the air. Twilight, her friends, and onlooking Fall Formal attendees watch in horror as Sunset is surrounded by a dark aura and transformed into a demonic creature, with red skin, fiery hair, wings, and a tail. Using her magic, Sunset proceeds to turn Snips and Snails into demons similar in appearance. The students retreat to the supposed safety of the school doors, but the transformed Sunset tears away the entire front entrance, declaring herself the students' "princess" and demanding their loyalty. She flies into the school and projects her magic onto the fleeing students, hypnotizing them into submission. With the student body under her control, Sunset explains to Twilight that it was never her intention to destroy the portal; she wanted the crown not to rule the school but to rule Equestria, with the help of her brainwashed followers. Twilight stands her ground however, and her friends back her up. Unfazed by their defiance, Sunset hurls a fireball at Twilight to take her out. Just before the spell hits, Twilight's friends huddle around her. Sunset cackles at her apparent victory but is shocked to find her attack had no effect. A pink force field surrounding Twilight and her friends had protected them from Sunset's attack. Twilight reasons that the magic contained in her Element of Harmony united with "those that helped create it". An aura from the crown engulfs Twilight and her friends in light, linking each of them to their Element of Harmony and giving them pony-like traits, including actual ears, wings, and hair extensions resembling tails when viewed from the front. Twilight finally proclaims that while Sunset may have the crown on her head, she cannot wield its power because she lacks the most powerful magic of all: the magic of friendship. The magic surrounding Twilight and her friends explodes, causing a double-helical rainbow to shoot out and engulf Sunset Shimmer in a rainbow-colored tornado that strips her of her power and releases the students of her mind control. As the bright light dissipates, the students congregate at the front of the school. Spike runs out to Twilight, who is lying on the ground with her friends. Twilight picks up Spike and hugs him while their friends approach her. The seven of them notice a large crater in the ground, with Sunset Shimmer—returned to normal—lying at the bottom of it. Twilight tells Sunset that she will never be able to rule in Equestria and that she has shown everyone who she really is. Sunset, reduced to tears, apologizes to everyone for what she's done. Twilight goes on to say that the magic of friendship exists everywhere, not just in Equestria, and that Sunset can either seek it out or "forever be alone". Sunset explains she doesn't know anything about friendship, to which Twilight points to her friends and says they can teach her. As Spike cheers the girls on, Principal Celestia walks up to give Twilight her crown back, announcing that what everyone had seen that night was exemplary of how a princess should act. Flash Sentry then extends his hand to Twilight, asking her for a dance. The scene cuts to the auditorium once more, with the students dancing to a reprise of This is Our Big Night. Flash Sentry joins Twilight in a very equine dance style before Photo Finish takes a group picture of Twilight, her friends, and Spike. Twilight embraces her friends in the school courtyard and asks them to look out for Sunset Shimmer. As she asks this, Vice Principal Luna hands Sunset a masonry trowel, with Snips and Snails following up with a wheelbarrow of bricks in order to repair the wall. Twilight tells her friends that although they had only known each other for a short time, she will miss them dearly. Spike compliments Twilight on her crown on the way to the portal, and the two finally step through. The moon rises to its peak to cover over the center star and with a flash of moonlight, the portal closes behind them, causing Twilight's friends to lose their pony ears, wings, and added hair. Pinkie Pie attempts to follow Twilight and Spike through the portal, only to smack into a solid surface. Back in Equestria, Twilight's friends and the princesses wait patiently for her return. Twilight emerges through the portal, teetering on her hind legs as she is once again a quadruped, and drops down to all four hooves. Her friends run up to greet her, congratulating her on her return and the retrieval of her crown. Princess Celestia asks about Sunset Shimmer, and Twilight replies that she's been left in good "hands". As a confused Rainbow Dash and Rarity look at each other, Spike comes through the portal shortly after. Twilight's friends walk through the castle with her and bombard her with questions, but Twilight tells them she's too tired from all the dancing, eliciting a shocked reaction from them. Twilight bumps into the same royal guard she'd bumped into before her journey began, mirroring her encounter with Flash Sentry in the human world. Twilight asks who the guard is, and Princess Cadance explains that he's a new member of the royal guard named Flash Sentry. Twilight's friends immediately pick up that Twilight may have a crush on him and playfully tease her, and Pinkie Pie—much like her human counterpart had—manages to guess Flash Sentry's exact actions from Twilight's time in the other world. After a surprised reaction from Twilight and Pinkie Pie explaining that it was "just a hunch", the scene transitions from a confident Twilight and a happy Spike to an upward internal to external view of the Crystal Empire into the sky. The scene fades to black and the credits roll. Cast * Sia as Twilight Sparkle, an alicorn and magical prodigy who is Equestria's Princess of Friendship. * Emily Blunt as Applejack , two of the "Mane 6"; Applejack is an honest apple farmer pony, and Rainbow Dash is a loyal pegasus and stunt flyer. * Zoe Saldana as Rainbow Dash * Kristin Chenoweth as Pinkie Pie * Andrea Libman as Fluttershy * Uzo Aduba as Rarity, a generous fashion designer unicorn and one of the "Mane 6". * Michael Peña as Spike, a baby dragon who is Twilight Sparkle's assistant. * Rebecca Schoichiet as Sunset Shimmer Various other Friendship Is Magic actors will reprise their roles from the television series and the Equestria Girls films. Nicole Oliver voices Principal Celestia. Production Development Following the November 2014 hacking of Sony's computers, emails between Sony Pictures Entertainment Co-Chairman Amy Pascal and president Doug Belgrad were released, stating that Sony was planning to make a computer-animated MLPEG film. At the 2015 CinemaCon in April, Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman announced a computer-animated MLPEG film, and would be directed by Jayson Theissen. Casting On August 7, 2015, it was announced that Tony and Emmy award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth would star in the film as Pinkie Pie, with Andrea Libman and Rebecca Schochiet signed to reprise their roles as Fluttershy and Sunset Shimmmer, respectively. On April 27, 2016, The Hollywood Reporter announced that actors Michael Peña (Ant-Man) and Uzo Aduba ("Crazy Eyes" from the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black) were in talks to join the cast as Spike and Rarity, respectively. On July 22, 2016, it was announced Australian singer-songwriter Sia was announced for Twilight Sparkle. On October 10, 2016, Emily Blunt revealed to website PopSugar that she is playing Applejack in the film. On February 10, 2017, the movie's supporting cast was announced through the actors' Twitter accounts, and it was announced that Zoe Saldana joined the cast as Rainbow Dash. Animation The film will use simple 3D modeling out of Autodesk Maya. Music and soundtrack Main article: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (soundtrack) The film's official soundtrack was released on May 17, 2019 by RCA Records. The film's songs and score were composed by Friendship Is Magic songwriter Daniel Ingram, who first announced at GalaCon 2017 that he would be collaborating with a live studio orchestra for the film. On his songwriting for the film, Ingram said, "I had to challenge myself to push beyond what had been done in the TV show; to write bigger, more epic." It was stated through the PonyRadioCon panel that the film would have a total of eight original songs. At Hasbro's Toy Fair investor presentation on February 17, 2018, it was announced that there would be seven songs. Around 5,800 pages of sheet music were created for all orchestral parts of the score. Recording for the score began on January 5, 2019, and finished on January 11. will.i.am & Pharrell Williams contributed an original song to the film, titled "This Is Great", which was released as a single on May 10, 2019. A music video for the song later released by Entertainment Weekly on May 14. Danish band Lukas Graham also contributed an original song for the film titled "Off to See the World", which was used in the film's first trailer. Other artists included in the album are DNCE and CL. Release On March 7, 2017, Lionsgate announced that they would distribute and market the film worldwide, with the exception of China. The film was showcased at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival on May 10 along with eight other Lionsgate features to help sell the film to international distributors. My Little Pony: e Girls was originally scheduled for release on June 14, 2019, but it was subsequently moved up to May 31, 2019. Theatrically, the film will be accompanied by a 5-minute animated short IDog's Awesome Party from Hasbro's 2005 robot dog of the same name. A private premiere screening was held at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 theater in New York City on May 19, 2019, twelve days prior to the nationwide release date. Preview screenings were shown 11 days after on May 30, 2019; exactly one day before the official release. Marketing Numerous toys based on characters, sets, and props from the film were made by Hasbro, and a vast majority of the products was released on April 1, 2019. The 2018 PonyRadioCon panel included a brief preview for some of the planned merchandise being developed for the film, including T-shirts and graphics. On July 27, 2018, the My Little Pony Collectible Card Game hinted on Twitter about a new set of cards based on the film. Hasbro's toyline for the film was shown and promoted at Toy Fair 2017 and various other toy conventions. Entertainment Earth has produced plushies for the film, and started releasing them in waves on their website. Several books and comics related to the film have been announced: My Little Pony: Annual 2019, which contains "exclusive content from the My Little Pony: Equestria Girls movie" was released on April 10, 2019; and a "prequel" story released on April 1. On July 23, 2018, Hachette Book Group listed five different books for the film, all released on April 29, 2019. Books based on the film have been showcased at BookCon 2018 on August 4. IDW Publishing released a four-issue comic book miniseries titled My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Prequel, with the first issue released on February 27, 2019. Viz Media released an art book for the film on April 29, 2019. A comic adaptation based on the film by IDW was released on May 27, 2019. A teaser trailer for the film was released online on October 11, 2018, and in theaters alongside Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween the following day. The first full trailer debuted online on February 27, 2019, and was released with Addie two days later. Another trailer was released by USA Today online on May 7, 2019. The same day, the official My Little Pony Facebook page hosted a live Q&A stream with two of the movie's characters, Pinkie Pie (voiced by Kristin Chenoweth) and Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Sia). On May 27, 2019, the official My Little Pony Facebook page hosted a live Q&A stream with art director Rebecca Dart, who drew a custom artwork of Rainbow Dash (voiced by Zoe Saldana in the film). A sneak peak will play during the season 14 premiere of America's Got Talent on May 28, 2019. Promotional partners for the film include General Mills, Ziploc, Bounty, and McDonald's. Discovery Family – a joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro – aired a The Making of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls special on May 25. Home media My Little Pony: Equestria Girls will be released on DVD and Blu-ray sometime in late August or early September 2019. Reception Box office In the United States and Canada, My Little Pony: Equestria Girls will be released alongside Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Rocketman, and is projected to gross around $63 million in its opening weekend. In the United Kingdom the film debuted to $4.1 million from 613 theaters. Critical reception On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 69% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 5.73/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Charming and sweet, ''My Little Pony: Equestria Girls ''will please its dedicated fanbase, even if it's unlikely to encourage non-devotees to gallop along for the ride." At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".